Live Light in 25 Words- Day 31. ” How much do you Love? “

” Love the Lord your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength ” Deuteronomy 6:5
Q. How do you live out your love for God?
Life is a continuing journey, and practically living out our love for God evolves as we travel along with Him. Love progresses through many stages. In the beginning it’s full of excitement and anticipation. With our new found love of God we are zealous evangelists telling anyone who will listen, and even those who won’t, about Him. Moving on into the period of stabilisation , we begin to learn about Him, to understand and get to know Him better. Reading the Word and developing a lifestyle with Him, learning to communicate with Him. Many of us will go through a period where our love is tested. Difficult times may come our way where we must choose to hold tightly to that love or we allow it to slip away. Some, may fall in love with Him all over again.
And then we arrive at the place of knowing, He is definitely the one. He is always there no matter what, we are altogether lovely enough for Him just as we are, warts and all. He knows us inside and out, there is nothing we can do that will make Him not love us, absolutely nothing.
My life needs to be a reflection of how much God loves me. I love because He first loved me. If I can encourage those around me, help others to feel comfortable , accepted and valued then I am sharing what He has given to me. Life’s sojourn and love are a journey full of obstacles but my purpose is to “Love God, my God, with my whole heart; love Him with all that’s in me, love Him with all I’ve got.” The Message
Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words- Day 30 ” Just, Merciful, Humble…Is that You ? “

” He has shown you, O mortal what is good. And what does The Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy , and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Q. How does God want us to live? What are some practical ways to live this way?
This would have to be one of the most well known, compassion and justice igniting verses in the Bible. We hear it used in reference to missions and social justice issues, but how often do we hear, or apply it, to our every day living?
“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple; Do what is fair and just to your neighbour, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself to seriously- take GOD seriously.” The Message
God actually says that He ” requires ” – (to call for as suitable or appropriate, to regard as obligatory; to demand ) this of us. It’s not an option for us to live in any other manner. If we are to call ourselves Christian , to love and honour God, then we must walk this out in our daily interactions.
In being JUST, we are to be morally upright, treating all others fairly and in an appropriate manner.
In LOVING MERCY, we are to show compassion to those who offend us, and be the first to provide assistance to those who are in need.
And in WALKING HUMBLY with our God, we are to know our place, not trying to impress God with our own self importance .
So why do so many of us find this so hard? It requires submission to God and a relinquishing of pride. If we are honest, I think we can confess that we all struggle in this area at times. Allowing Him to give us the strength to live beyond how we feel, because often ,we just don’t feel like living these qualities out.
The world implores us to put ourselves first, how contrary this is to Gods plan for our lives. Imagine, if as Christians we purposed each day to this, to be the men and women God is looking for…..Imagine!
Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words -Day 29. ” Constant “

“Then The Lord came down in the cloud and stood before him and proclaimed his name, The Lord. And he passed in front of Moses proclaiming, ” The Lord, The Lord , the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger , abounding in love and faithfulness ……”Exodus 34:5a,6
Q. What does God reveal to Moses about Himself ?
After all Moses had endured with his rebellious people, God comes to Him to reassure him of who He is. He states that He is Yahweh , He is God. He then goes on to express His qualities. This same quality of character that afforded the Israelites so much is still bestowed upon us today. Because He is constant, we can be assured that His love for us is never ending, He is true to His word , His patience goes beyond understanding and even though we, like the Israelites, are so undeserving, He understands us and has made a way for us, sacrificing His one and only Son.
What an amazing sense of security this gives us , to know that God, Yahweh is same today as He was thousands of years ago. Steadfast in times of trouble and need and ever forgiving of our failures and inconsistencies . And the more we get to know Him and grow deeper in relationship with Him the more He reveals to us about Himself.
Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words- Day 28. ” He did that for me! “

” But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
Q. Have you reflected recently on the price Jesus paid to bring you peace?
I have actually been engaged in a lot of reflecting lately. During the last 3 1/2 years life has been challenging , tough and at times I wondered how I would keep going. I walked away from God, I was so angry with Him. I lost sight of who He was, I couldn’t see past people and my church hurt. I ran from Him and everything connected with Him. My heart hardened, unforgiveness and the sorrow from the circumstances within my family weighed me down. I have never felt as lost and lonely as I did during this period in my life.
BUT, He never left me, He kept knocking, and finally I opened the door to my heart again. I am so very grateful that He did not give up on me, for the beautiful people He brought into my life, for the events that He orchestrated.
So when I reflect and ponder on what it cost Him to give me the peace I now walk in, and it most certainly is a peace that surpasses understanding as life is still scattered with many a hurdle too high for me to clear, emotion overwhelms.
” For the mountains may move, and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken, says the LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10
Words cannot fully express the beauty within this promise, the richness of its meaning.
I stand in awe.
Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words – Day 27. ” Beyond Imagining “

” He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:4
Q. What are you most looking forward to when you think about your eternal life to come?
Being the inquisitive person that I am, after finally meeting Jesus face to face, having my myriad of questions answered would have to be right up there. I ‘ve often wondered how I would handle the emotions of not seeing some of the people that I love. But he promises that there will be no more sorrow, crying or pain. All the painful memories of past experiences and feelings of loss, banished from existence.
I can only begin to imagine the beauty of sound and sight that lay in store, the feast for the senses. To walk and talk with Jesus, to even think of it! To worship directly at the feet of the Father, I find it all a little difficult to get my head around.
There is one more thing that I am looking forward to, a hug from my nana. She was eagerly awaiting seeing Jesus and she would share that love and anticipation with me, I miss her so.
I don’t think that I can really single out any one expectation, the more one dwells upon it, the more one realises that the possibilities are endless. 
” No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him ” 1 Corinthians 2:9
What an incredible surprise that lay ahead, what a beautiful promise.
Lxx